Match preview: FK Crvena Zvezda vs Lille - UEFA Europa League

FK Crvena Zvezda entered their UEFA Europa League group stage clash with Lille in high spirits. The Serbian team currently sits 15th in the table with 14 points and boasts an unbeaten home record since the start of the season. In contrast, Lille is struggling in 18th place with 12 points and faces serious squad problems due to a long list of injured players.

Form and position in the league table

FK Crvena Zvezda is showing incredibly consistent form. In their last 5 matches in continental competitions, they have secured 4 wins and 1 draw. Notably, the team has won 5 out of 9 matches played this season. Their solid defense is their biggest strength, conceding an average of only 0.7 goals per game.

On the other side of the pitch, Lille is showing clear signs of inconsistency. The French team has lost 3 of their last 5 matches. In particular, Lille's away form is a big question mark, having suffered 3 defeats in their 4 away games this season. Lille's goal difference is currently 12-10, indicating that despite having a strong attack, their defense frequently makes mistakes.

Head-to-head history and notable statistics

History is completely on FK Crvena Zvezda's side. In their two most recent encounters at the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026, the Serbian team won both times with the same minimal score of 1-0. This shows that FK Crvena Zvezda knows how to control the game and finish off their opponents in direct confrontations.

Team news: Lille are in trouble.

The visiting team faces mounting difficulties as the list of absentees grows longer. Lille will definitely be without H. Igamane (knee injury), E. Mbappe (thigh injury), T. Meunier (muscle injury), O. Sahraoui and O. Toure (knee injuries). The availability of Alexsandro and M. Caillard remains uncertain.

On FK Crvena Zvezda's side, they are also missing several key players such as M. Ivanic and N. Radonjic. In addition, V. Lucic will also be sidelined due to accumulating too many yellow cards. However, compared to the scale of their opponents' losses, the home team still possesses a deeper and more stable squad.

Predicting tactics and results

With the home advantage and their current good form, FK Crvena Zvezda are likely to play defensively from the start, taking advantage of Lille's impatience as they are desperate for points. Their pragmatic counter-attacking style, which helped them defeat their opponents in their two previous encounters, may well be employed again.

Experts predict a 90% chance of the home team winning or drawing, while Lille's chances of winning are only estimated at 10%. The match is expected to be low-scoring, reflecting the cautious approach of both teams during this crucial stage of the season.

Prediction: FK Crvena Zvezda win or draw.

Team lineup updated at 00:15 on February 27, 2026.

Official lineup

FK Crvena Zvezda

Diagram: 3-4-2-1

CoachDejan Stankovic

Starting lineup:

• 1. Matheus (G)
• 25. Strahinja Eraković (D)
• 5. Rodrigão (D)
• 30. Franklin Tebo (D)
• 66. Young-woo Seol (M)
• 20. Tomás Händel (M)
• 33. Rade Krunić (M)
• 23. Nair Tiknizyan (M)
• 22. Vasilije Kostov (F)
• 17. Bruno Duarte (F)
• 42. Jay Enem (F)

Substitutes:

• 28. Vuk Draškić
• 18. Omri Glazer
• 13. Miloš Veljković
• 71. Adem Avdić
• 45. Stefan Gudelj
• 10. Aleksandar Katai
• 6. Mahmudu Bajo
• 21. Timi Max Elšnik
• 35. Douglas Owusu
• 40. Luka Zarić
• 89. Marko Arnautović

Lille

Diagram: 4-2-3-1

CoachBruno Genesio

Starting lineup:

• 1. Berke Özer (G)
• 22. Tiago Santos (D)
• 23. Aïssa Mandi (D)
• 18. Chancel Mbemba (D)
• 15. Romain Perraud (D)
• 21. Benjamin André (M)
• 32. Ayyoub Bouaddi (M)
• 28. Gaëtan Perrin (M)
• 10. Hakon Arnar Haraldsson (M)
• 7. Matías Fernández (M)
• 9. Olivier Giroud (F)

Substitutes:

• 16. Arnaud Bodart
• 60. Zadig Lanssade
• 3. Nathan Ngoy
• 24. Calvin Verdonk
• 38. Maxima Goffi
• 6. Nabil Bentaleb
• 17. Ngal'ayel Mukau
• 27. Félix Correia
• 42. Saad Boussadia
• 20. Noah Edjouma
• 35. Soriba Diaoune